The New York fall pest invaders are coming

Summer is ending fall is upon us the time of the year that while everyone is enjoying Pumpkin Spice Lattes that pests in New York will be looking for a place to shelter during the winter until spring. No need to panic, I am going to provide you with some insight and helpful tips on how to deal with the fall invaders.

Inspecting the exterior of your home is the most important step in keeping pests out. During your inspection, you are looking for windows that may have broken screens, loose concrete along the foundation of your home, utility pipes and cable wire with gaps around them that need to be sealed. Once you’ve found all of the defects its time to correct them! The best materials to use for sealing your home are the materials the New York pest professionals would use such as copper mesh, window screen, and foam these are the most effective material to keep pests from invading your living space.

Mice and Rats

Rodents in New York have a hard time finding food and keeping warm during the colder months. Your garbage provides easy pickings and your home will provide them with safe warm shelter and the occasional treat here and there. Inspect the exterior of your home for rodent borrows, keep lids on your trashcans, and follow these tips to keep them out of your home.

Those holes around your utility pipes seal them up! Rodents only need ¼-inch gap in order to call your home, their home. If you can fit a pencil in the gap, the rodents can fit as well. The same goes for the gaps underneath your exterior doors, install a door sweep to prevent rodents and pests from getting in. Forget about steel wool, steel wool will rot and deteriorate over time. Copper mesh is a much better product to use, it will not rot or deteriorate and works much better than steel wool! Foam is great, but only when used with copper mesh for sealing holes mice and rats can chew threw it if used on its own. After you’ve plugged the hole up with copper mesh, use the foam to completely seal the hole and hold the mesh in place. Make sure to use the appropriate foam around heating pipes.

Keep the firewood far, and the garbage even further

No one likes walking a far distance in the cold for some firewood or to throw out the garbage, the idea is to stay warm, keep the house warm and the pests out. Having to walk an extra 20 feet or more won’t hurt you, but it will sure keep the pest away from your home.

Keep Wood Piles away from your home Wood piles can contain a lot of moisture and provide a safe and protective environment for a lot of pests; including Crickets & Centipedes.Carpenter Antsare wood destroying insects- They do not consume the wood as if a termite would. They will often times have a parent colony outdoors and build multiple satellite nests indoors. Carpenter Ants prefer to nest in damp, rotting, decaying wood. Your woodpiles can provide them with a nesting area and having it in close proximity to your home can provide them with easy access. For more detailed info on Carpenter Ants click here. Termites the wood destroying insects- Live and infest trees; placing these woodpiles so close to your home can cause your home to become infested with termites, if they were in the woodpiles you placed against your home. You should not take that chance. More info on termites click here. Garbage Cans- Contain garbage, but they also contain food for insects, rodents, and wildlife. Maintaining your receptacles at least 20 feet from your home with secure lids on them will help discourage pest from returning. You will discourage rodents, pests and wildlife from returning, and since the garbage is far from your home, their next step won’t be to crawl in through the window.

Mosquito control & prevention starts now

The process of controlling and eliminated mosquitoes is a year round task, a very tedious task that needs to be done in order for you to enjoy the outdoors and prevent vector diseases. Some Mosquito species like the Asian tiger mosquito need very little water, a cap full of water is sufficient to sustain them. In a previous article, I discussed in detail on how to deal with mosquitos. Here are some tips for the fall and winter season. Items collecting water need to be removed. Dump the receptacles that contain standing water, and prevent the water from getting in again. Many mosquitoes will lay their eggs in the water, the eggs will over winter and hatch in the spring. Clean your gutters! Gutters are often overlooked, but if not cleaned regularly, water can pool in certain areas allowing mosquitoes to breed.

Oh no, the Stink Bugs are back

The Stink Bug

Stink Bugs are headed your way I personally do not like uninvited guests either, so let’s keep them out. Make sure your window screens are intact, if not repair or replace them. You can use the same material for window screens to place them over attic vents and fans securely. This will help prevent the Stink Bugs from migrating into your home, especially if you have had problems with them in the past. Having the exterior of your home thoroughly treated especially the eves can help prevent Stink Bugs from spending the winter with you. Treating the outside of your home will certainly help with reduce amount of Stink Bugs. The perfect time to perform the treatment is before the Stink Bugs have entered your home. Treating all pertinent areas is essential in getting your home rid of Stink Bugs and preventing them from entering.

Spiders, Crickets, Centipedes and all the rest of these creepy bugs

Leaves will fall from trees and you should pick them up as soon as possible. Like the woodpiles, leaves also trap moisture and provide and inviting atmosphere for many pests, including Spiders and Ticks! Make sure to clean the leaf liter especially from your window wells and basement stairs. Damp areas are 5 star resorts for many pests maintaining your basement and crawl space well ventilated will prevent moisture from building up creating a damp environment. Fixing any leaking pipes that may be in the home and having adequate ventilation will help prevent your basement from becoming damp and humid, making the area less attractive to pests.

Keeping Raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife out of your home

Tree branches that are leaning close to the home need to be cut. Having branches over your roof or close to your home is like providing pests especially wildlife with a ladder into your home. Trim it back and use it for firewood or something, it is great preventative care for the upcoming winter storms. Raccoons will seek shelter and often times that means they will be living in your attic. They will want to spend the winter there, and later on at the beginning of the spring have their kits. Raccoons will not only cause you thousands of dollars in damage, but their feces and urine can cause serious health problems in humans. Squirrels are also seeking safe shelter, and a place to have their babies. Like other wildlife, squirrels are very capable of causing serious damage to your home requiring costly repairs. Exterior treatments will help reduce fall pest invaders in New York, but that alone cannot prevent them from entering your home. Providing your home with regular maintenance residential pest control can ensure that all areas are covered and all gaps are sealed will also help prevent pest from entering. It’s too late to begin making adjustments and treatments once the pests are inside, preventing pests from entering your home is a year round process different pests will invade your home through different times of the year depending on the season. Have a pest control company inspect and treat your home on a monthly basis is ideal, and will prevent the headache of dealing with them on your own.